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Woman stabbed, sexually assaulted at North Bend restaurant

NORTH BEND, Wash. - A woman was stabbed and sexually assaulted by a masked man as she was leaving work Sunday night in North Bend, police said.

Officers and medics responded to the scene, Jay Berry's Restaurant in the 400 block of Mt. Si Boulevard, shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday after receiving a 911 call, said Capt. Nick Almquist of the Snoqualmie-North Bend police.

Arriving there, they found a woman had been stabbed once in the chest, duct-taped at her feet and wrists, and sexually assaulted.

The victim was the last employee in the restaurant and was exiting from the back door when an unknown man forced her back into the premises, Almquist said.

Snoqualmie Police Chief Steve McCulley says even though she had been stabbed, the victim somehow freed herself to call 911 and tell officers what happened to her.

"We're working the scene, working with her, as you might imagine, treating her very fragile and giving her time to recover," McCulley says. "We'll be doing a follow-up interview with her to see what more information we can glean."

Right now the chief says the victim wasn't able to get a good look at her attacker as he was wearing a mask, so his face was hidden.

The victim was transported to Overlake Hospital, where she is listed in stable condition.

A Major Crimes Task Force detective is investigating.

McCulley says North Bend was just added to the Snoqualmie Police Department's jurisdiction over the weekend, and he is as concerned about the crime as others who live here.

"Enough is enough," he said. "A lot of things have happened in North Bend recently and residents are fed up. I know I'm fed up. This is my hometown and I take this very personally, and so I think people need to pay attention and stay together."

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 425-888-3333. Callers will remain anonymous to protect their identity.